Category: Hardware

The internet truly is a wonderful piece of technology, isn’t it? By allowing fans to connect with artists and companies directly, a whole world of interesting possibilities open. One such possibility is the interesting contest set up by amp manufacturer Blackstar. The contest requires fans to upload a 30 second clip of them playing guitar using the Blackstar ID:Series or ID:Core setups. The entires will be available for public consumption, so be sure to bring your A game. The entries…

If you are looking for a compact effects pedal that will deliver a retro British combo amp tone then look no further. The BC-2 from BOSS lets you control the pedal with a single knob. You also have full control over multiple sound characters allowing you to access a massively full spectrum of tone. Everything that’s old becomes new again and that couldn’t be more true with music. If you are looking to recreate the classic retro sound the BC-2…

Thanks to Thumbrella for spotting this – here’s a cool 12 picture series on how pieces of wood are transformed into a guitar, by luthiers from Knights Guitar. Below is a stage by stage example of how we made Jacks Guitar. All our guitars are handmade by either Gordon or Rob, both experienced luthiers. Our guitars are custom built with plenty of input from the customer. Before: After: View the photo…

Here’s an instructable on how to create your own metal pickguard to replace the boring old plasticky one that came with your guitar. It’s basically down to tracing your old pickguard on a sheet of metal, then painstakingly cutting out, sanding, trimming and polishing the piece to perfection.

Apparently, only 1 in 20 guitars that arrive from the manufacturers are correctly set up. I’m not sure whether that claim is meant to be sensationalist or what the criteria is for being “properly set up”, but it does make a good point in that you should always make sure that you set your guitar up correctly once you’re purchased it. Some people aren’t overly fussy with setups, but most will have some sort of preference. Things like the action…

Most valve amps need to be run loud to get a good tone out of them, which often makes it difficult when performing in intimate settings, playing late at night or if you have picky neighbours. An attenuator is an electronics device that reduces the amplitude of a signal without appreciably distorting its waveform – perfect for getting that cranked amp sound, at a lower, more manageable volume level. This simple attenuator box will allow lower wattage (less than 30…

A killswitch can be a handy thing to have, as it allows a guitarist to immediately mute sounds coming from the guitar, as opposed to a messy cutoff using a volume knob or foot pedal. It can make for some interesting guitar effects, as demonstrated by Eddie Van Halen’s “You Really Got Me”. If you’re feeling adventurous enough, here are some pretty good guides showing how you go about installing one. Guitar Killswitch Installation Removable Guitar Killswitch (in case you…

Would you pay $150 or more for these custom designed and crafted Shark Inlay control and trim plates, made of materials such as White/Black/Gold Mother of Pearl, Paua, Red Abalone, semiprecious stones? Created by Master Inlay Artist Cliff Suttle to fit PRS guitars,each pieces cut and milled to tolerances in the 1000’s of an inch. Personally, I have better things to spend my money on, but if you’re keen, head over to www.sharkinlay.com.

Those handy with a soldering iron and a bit of DIY know how might want to check out this Instructables guide, on how to build your own tube amp from components. There are currently pre-fab kits on the market, but it’s infinitely more fun building your own and tinkering with the design. This guide looks pretty involved, but I’m sure the results are well worth it. A whole lot of tweaking later, I’ve got an amp that pleases me. A…